Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows HP7 Movie vs. Book
My Review
The film version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows captures the mood of the book perfectly. The film begins with a dark sense of foreboding as Voldemort's power grows and his followers slowly infiltrate the institutions of the wizarding world (i.e. the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts). After narrowly escaping an attempt on his life, Harry, Ron, and Hermione set out on a quest to destroy Voldemort's horcruxes in the hopes it will lead to his demise. Here the movie is pitch perfect as it balances occasional episodes of action with dialogue-heavy scenes with Harry, Ron, and Hermione around their various campsites. There is a certain amount of frustration and aimlessness in these scenes as the characters understand what's at stake, but haven't the faintest idea where to begin their search for the horcruxes.
After Ron has fled camp, there is an awkward scene in the tent where Harry and Hermione dance. The scene hints at a romantic tension between the two that does not exist in the book. Additionally, the movie portrays Snape only as a Death Eater, and not as one of Dumbledore's followers. The book invites readers to question where Snape's true allegiances lie. Despite these differences and assuredly more (it's been a couple of years since I read the book), I believe the movie measures up to the book as well as one could hope.
